Outreach to Anglicans was considered in 1990s, English cardinal discloses

November 03, 2009

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the retired Archbishop of Westminster, has confirmed that an invitation to Anglican clerics to enter the Catholic Church, similar to the proposal unveiled by the Vatican in October, had been considered as early as the 1990s. The cardinal said that the proposal was sidelined at that time, suggesting that it was regarded as too ambitious. But he disclosed that the idea had the support of the then-prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

"Matters have moved on since then," Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said, and the repreated requests from Anglicans seeking incorporation into the Catholic clergy had prompted the new Vatican move. Nevertheless the cardinal-- who was regarded as unsympathetic toward the Anglo-Catholic initiative during his years as England's ranking Catholic prelate-- emphasized that "this response of Pope Benedict is no reflection or comment on the Anglician communion as a whole or of our ongoing ecumenical relationship with them." He said that despite setbacks, the Catholic Church should pursue efforts to reach a full corporate reunion with the worldwide Anglican communion.

 

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Further information:

• Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor: Conversion offer to disaffected Anglicans was previously rejected as ‘casting the net too wide’ (Daily Telegraph)
• Cardinal: New Vatican move not a reflection on Anglican Communion (CNS)